Wealden Times | WT224 | Nov & Dec 2020 | Christmas supplement inside

The
Perfume
Society’s The
Niche Collection
V Discovery Box
£27
Beauty
Beauty: all wrapped up
Josephine Fairley shares the highlights of her Christmas gift list
Fact: planning Christmas – planning anything
right now – is simply impossible. No idea how
big a turkey to order. Or how many crackers
we’ll need. Or whether to buy a plug-in radiator for
the spare room. But one thing is certain: we all need an
absolutely GINORMOUS treat this Christmas – and
that’s what beauty, fragrance and wellbeing gifts do best.
But there’s another difference, for Christmas 2020: budget.
Because much as we long to splurge, many of us are playing
it safe. And does it really matter? This year, we’ve all adjusted
our priorities somewhat. It’s not about flashing cash on superexpensive
beauty products (or super-expensive anything)
– and this year, everything I’m suggesting is with that in
mind. And honestly, they’re proof that you don’t need to
break the bank to give something truly, excitingly gorgeous.
For many, though, Christmas 2020 is also about treading a
little more thoughtfully on the planet, trying to avoid waste.
And who wants to give a gift that will only gather dust? So
I promise all of the following are pretty much guaranteed to
thrill, whether opened as you’re gathered under the tree, or
dispatched via the postie. (Just be aware: fragrance and nail
polishes need a hazardous label on the envelope, if you send
them out yourselves; you can get these at the Post Office.)
And now, my top 10 gift recommendations for
the weirdest Christmas in living memory.
Rock Rose Limited Edition Handcrafted Massage Candle,
£45. From a local Sussex skincare ‘rising star’, a sublimelyscented
candle based on chamomile, lavender and rock
rose in a vessel hand-crafted by Hastings potter Chantelle
Duncan. It not only scents the room, but you can pour the
warm liquid onto skin for a fragrant, skin-nourishing treat
(and maybe even persuade someone in your ‘bubble’ to
massage it into your tense muscles). After it’s flickered its last,
the clay pouring pot would be great on the dinner table.
Benefit Beauty Thrills, £19.50 (value £36). I’ve always
found Benefit’s wittily packaged gifts to be a hit with
everyone’s ‘inner girlie’, whether they’re 17 or 70, frankly.
This trio of their bestsellers features minis of brilliant
Gimme Brow brow mascara, The Porefessional Primer
and They’re Real Mascara, in a pink tin that begs to
be upcycled for storing – well, whatever you fancy.
Neal’s Yard Bee Lovely Nourishing Collection, £25.
The Bee Lovely products help support bees in Ghana – a
(yes) lovely gift for someone who’s been welcoming the
wildlife into their garden this year. Leaving that aside,
the Bee Lovely products are fab in their own right,
infused with the scent or oranges and enriched in some
cases with moisturising (but not-sticky-at-all) honey,
Benefit
Beauty
Thrills kit,
£19.50
Rock
Rose
Limited Edition
Handcrafted
Christmas 2020
Massage Candle,
£45
Neal’s
Yard
Bee Lovely
Nourishing
Collection,
£25
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